The War of the Gods
by LimerenceMag
Summary: The Greeks have been in a war with the enemy for 50 years. Their city so close to destruction, they must find a way to end the war. With a growing agnosticism, can they succeed before it's too late? You don't need to know the game to follow the story! ;D
1. The University Council

Chapter One: The University Council

Chapter One: The University Council

"It's dark now… so quiet… and peaceful… where am I? What is this place? Screaming? Who's screaming? Why? It's so loud. The women are screaming. Swords clashing. Fire rustling. Horses bound in clanking armor beating the dry ground cruelly. People running, falling, fighting, screaming, burning. What's going on? The noise is overwhelming. Blood pouring onto the dead earth. The enemy is nearing. They're going to kill us. They're going to kill us all. Why? What's going on here? I need to run. I need to run now. They're after me. They're going to kill me. Run."

"The passage was written by an unknown author some time after the beginning of the war. No one is sure as to the author's identity, their affiliation, or their purpose in writing this passage. It outlines the chaos and confusion felt at the time of this war. The war had begun some fifty years ago. No one is sure as to the exact reason for this, as all those involved in the relations between the villages and the Gods were the first to perish" said a tall, lean woman, wearing a dull beige toga tightly around her body. She stood before a council sitting solemnly around a faded wooden table. "We must get to the bottom of this. Our God may not let these affairs go on without our knowledge. We follow behind this mysterious entity, and yet we know not why, or for what. This must come to an end!" she slammed the desk that lay in the center of the dimly lit conference room. The scholars seated around the table looked uneasily at each other.

"How do you even know that there is a God, Sarali." A dashing young scholar protested. Though young for the University council, he had quickly risen in rank as he impressed his fellow students and professors with his knowledge and infallible logic. "What I mean to say is, we can't see this 'God' and we can't possibly be sure that it has any affect on our civilization. You wouldn't be able to produce any evidence to the contrary if I were to ask for it, am I correct?" He sat back with a smirk on his face, crossing his legs and holding his knee with a certain degree of self-satisfaction.

Sarali turned her head sharply and glared at him, "I'm disappointed, Gasan. We're not here to debate religion. We're here to discuss how to get answers about this war we're in for reasons unknown –"

"And I'm here to say we don't have to be in this ridiculous war that you claim was caused by an invisible man in the sky!" Gasan yelled, leaning forward and slamming his fists on the desk passionately.

Sarali recoiled slowly, removing her hands from the desk and standing up straight, her eyes remaining locked on him. She turned away slowly to face a map and snapped her head back to the council, "We must take immediate action. If we don't do something about this war, our armies will soon be unable to defend this cities walls and our society will fall to the enemy. The council behind the initiation of this war was the first to perish nearly fifty years ago, and with them went the reason, rationale, and explanation of this war. The enemies refuse to negotiate and our ability to mobilize or even to call for our allies has been compromised because the roads have come under control of the enemy."

A middle-aged woman with a pudgy face and gentle demeanor spoke up, "Is the rationale for this enemy assault over territory or resources? We could perhaps work out some compromise or trade agreement with them and that would surely end the –"

"No. It has been tried in the past. This is not a war over territory nor resources. The enemy holds a location of as much value as ours."

An elderly man interrupted with a raspy cough. He rubbed his chair against the abrasive granite floor, calling the attentions of the other council members to him. He leaned forward now that he had their attention and stroked his wispy beard as though he were recalling a distant memory. "The enemy wants nothing more than to destroy our society and the people in it. That is the rationale for this war."

The members stared at the old man in total surprise. The light entering from the sloppily covered windows sank through, lightly touching points on the desk and the members' solemn faces. Sarali tilted her head curiously and furrowed her eyebrows. She asked calmly, "Solon, please, enlighten the council. What do you know about this war and about our enemy?"

The old man shook his dry patchy head, "Little more than you, child." He took a deep breath and rubbed his temples fixedly, "I was a youth, Gasan's age, when the war began. Then it was the decision made by the religious councils. The council of the priests initiated this war, but they were only one of two religious councils – the other being the council of the priestesses – who supposedly had personal contact with the God that created this city and helped our struggling society thrive in the land's harsh conditions. The council of the priestesses opposed the idea of the war against the enemies and called the priests liars driven by greed and corruption. The priests accused the priestesses of having unsavory affairs with the enemies and that their opposition to the war jeopardized the people of this city.

I was merely a student at this very University at the time. I couldn't be sure which of the councils to trust since both councils' affairs were kept in the strictest confidentiality. Conditions were not the best. Our enemies constantly threatened our city with raids, volcanoes, meteors, plague, and anything else evil in this world. The public was in denial about an impending war. I suppose life was hard enough… No one wanted to believe that it was only to become harder. They chose to ignore the feuding between the two councils since it was often that they would butt heads and publicly ridicule one another. Despite the priestesses' opposition, the armies were dispatched to the enemy's walls and that is how the war began." The old man gently rubbed his bony knuckles and continued his story in an aging and raspy voice, "To my knowledge, there had been no actual conflict with the enemy… at least not one initiated by our city. I haven't any theory as to why the enemy is as hostile to us as they are." He paused and thoughtfully looked around the room at the council members' intrigued faces. "Soon after the war, all of the members in the council of priests were found dead. The public had at first blamed the council of priestesses, but they soon went missing. No one heard from them nor were their bodies found. To this day, no one can be sure what happened to the two councils, though many who had lived during that time still blame the council of priestesses for the mysterious deaths of the council of priests. Though the evidence would appear damning… for some reason … I don't believe the priestesses had anything to do with the death of the priests..." he groaned and rubbed his forehead. "I stayed at the University to investigate this matter, but to no avail. There is simply no hard evidence to suggest anything about the deaths of the priests."

All of the council members looked at Solon ponderously, thinking about what he had said, and wondering about the situation themselves.

"As I said, Sarali, it was not a 'God' that got us involved in this war. It was the council of priests!" Gasan shouted eagerly. He smirked at her in an air of smug superiority.

Solon slowly turned toward Gasan, shaking his head tiredly, "Now now, young man. I never said that. The council of priests initiated the war because of their contact with our God. It is interesting to me why there was dissent between the two as to the exact wishes of our God, but it is important to determine why we were led into war when there would be no benefit to warring with this enemy."

Gasan snarled his face into a look of pure disgust "When you read between the lines, Solon, you can clearly see that the two groups were operating out of their desires to fill their own agendas. If something that should be as straightforward as whether or not to enter a meaningless war is a point of argument between these two groups, they are obviously not operating through a 'God'."

Sarali slammed her hands onto the desk and glared angrily at Gasan, "That's enough! We'll have none of this disrespect, Gasan!" Gasan leaned back quickly and crossed his arms, glaring hatefully at Sarali. "What needs to be done is we must first assign roles to each of our members. If we split up and search for information about the councils, our enemy, and our God, we will surely be able to devise a plan of attack. Who will be the first to volunteer?"

A meek-looking man rose his hand timidly, "I shall. I will be glad to research the former religious councils if that so pleases the council."

"Of course it will. Thank you, Tehan."

"If Tehan chooses to pick a topic so robust as the religious councils, I am sure that my assistance will be needed." Gasan blurted out, still leaning against the back of his chair with his arms crossed.

"If you so wish, Gasan."

The council fell quiet. Sarali carefully looked over all of the council members, waiting for another volunteer to speak up.

Solon creaked out his offer, "I shall lead a group in researching our enemy, seeing as I have the most memory of them."

"Honorably so, Solon. Thank you."

"I would be happy to assist Solon in his research" spoke up the mild middle-aged woman.

"Absolutely. Thank you, Viena" Sarali let out a deep sigh and carefully examined the remaining members of the council. "I suppose that leaves Darnel, Taika, and myself to find more information about our God. I hope that we all would have enough information to come up with a reasonable plan in say, two weeks from today?" The council members nodded in agreement. "It is agreed then. We shall begin researching immediately. No one rests until we have found every last bit of information available. No matter what the cost."

The members of the council rose from their seats hesitantly as they made their way into the dusty halls of the University. They would begin their tireless search for answers to save their city from the evils of a meaningless war.


	2. A Word from God

Chapter Two: A Word from God

Chapter Two: A Word from God

"Boss! Boss! Did you hear that? The people may soon be able to reach you once again! Boss! Are you hearing this?" cried out an overexcited cherub. Her hair bounced in curly blond locks around her perfectly round face.

"Yeah, I heard ya. Don't care though. They'll find a way to screw things up, dontcha worry, Dara" came a disembodied voice from an unknown location.

Dara quickly halted and looked shocked in the direction of the voice, "But, boss! Aren't you excited to finally be able to speak with your people once more?! Who could think of anything more wonderful?" she shouted excitedly, clasping her small cherub hands together against her chest.

"Bah, Dara, there you go again… Always annoying the boss as usual" another cherub scathed, grimacing in irritation.

"Well now, there's no need to be so mean, Merari. I was only trying to lighten up the mood since the boss has been so sad about not being able to talk to the people!"

"And what makes you think the boss even wants to talk to those awful ingrates?" Merari criticized bitterly, hands on his hips.

"Hey now, don't criticize my work and I won't criticize yours, fatty." The voice boomed.

Merari threw his arms up in shock "I am NOT a fatty" he screamed defensively.

"Sure you are. I made you that way. I thought it was amusing." The voice chuckled. Merari stormed off angrily, much to the amusement of the others. "Ok, seriously now, you can go relax or something, Dara. I need to speak with Tancreida now." Dara nodded politely and fluttered off to join the other cherubs, including one sulking Merari.

A cloud quickly clumped together in midair, emanating a brightly glowing light. The cloud parted beautifully, and out stepped a tall, graceful figure, beaming with all the glory of the heavens. "You summoned me?" said Tancreida as the cloud behind her shrank gracefully into nothing.

"Yes. I must speak with you about the nature of affairs in Thule. I saw a meeting take place, but as you know I cannot understand the people from here when they speak so. What did they say at their meeting?"

"I heard the humans talk about finding out about your last councils and learning about you as well as the 'enemy'."

"Understood. What is the likelihood of the humans communicating with me once more?"

"That I am not sure. I can gather that one human among them has an unusual aura. Your Gasan has an aura equivalent to a cherub. Highly unusual for an animal."

"I agree. I knew something was different about his fate when I watched his birth… I will deal with him eventually…in my earth form…"

"Oh… Yaweh… please don't tell me…" Tancreida rubbed her furrowed brows and shook her head.

"What? I found them wandering the desert aimlessly fighting for scraps of rotten meat and digging at the ground desperately for drops of water! The least they can offer me is some amusement!" The voice balked.

"If you so say…"

"And I do." The voice chuckled boastfully. "Besides, it would be a valuable way for me to measure his aura first-hand."

"I must warn you – he is the student who questions your existence. The people are becoming increasingly skeptical about your work."

"As if there is anything I can do directly! Ha. I have done so much for them and this is how they thank me! No matter. A job, when done at its best, blends in with everything else and becomes difficult to distinguish. I take no offense. They will still follow where I guide whether they are aware of it or not. However, my people being in such a delicate situation with the Aztecs, I must not directly meddle in their affairs. It would cause a massive crippling, as we have learned before, so I have a job to ask of you."

"What is it that I may do?"

"You remember the beginning of this war – when the Aztec troops infiltrated my walls and burned down my oldest University."

"With regret…of course."

"With that University went some of my brightest scholars and a few of the most important books about myself and about the councils. Being that they are gone now, this University council could not hope to find out how to form a new spiritual council to reach me… that is, without guidance."

"I understand that."

"You must lead them in the right direction. I trust you understand me."

"Absolutely."

"Excellent. You may use my cherubs for your needs if you so desire. You must act as quickly as possible as my armies are soon becoming exhausted and my celestial beast is close to death."

"Edgar is near death? But how?"

"Yes, the damn wolf beast wandered too far into enemy territory, so I cannot reach him… I would smack the shit out of him for pulling a stunt like this... You must find a way to retrieve him. It would be a great pain for me to create a new beast despite the highest dislike I have for this one."

"I must regret that I don't know how to find him if he is indeed so far away."

"That is no worry. I put a bell on him before he left so that it would be easier to find him the next time his hyperactive stupidity spiked. You should be able to hear it from 10 miles away if I remember correctly."

"Wouldn't that deafen the humans in the area?"

"Of course not. It is not made of earth metals. Please, return my Edgar and guide these people in the right direction."

"At once." Tancreida said as she bowed respectfully and made her exit toward the cherubs who were busy playing with each other.

The round-faced cherubs, all donning short, bouncy hair, buzzed around, above, and beneath each other, giggling and twirling. That is, all except for three sulking cherubs who sat away from the fun, glaring in resentment and annoyance. Tancreida made her entrance and immediately all sulking and playing stopped as all cherubs laid eyes on the magnificently beautiful Tancreida.

Her hair flowed gorgeously like strands of gold gleaming radiantly in a beam of divine light. Her eyes were two sapphires placed expertly in a beautifully slim almond-shaped face. Her toga swept the sky gracefully, filling the room with a sense of peace. The cherubs stared at her adoringly and waited patiently for her to speak. "Cherubs, I come to you asking for your help. I have been given orders from Yaweh to embark on a mission which I cannot do alone." The cherubs nodding quickly, wishing desperately to be asked to help her. "Seeing as you are all willing, I shall ask that a group be formed to search for Edgar. He is lost in enemy territory and near death. Though you do not have the power to bring him home, I hope that you could assist me in finding him." The cherubs nodded readily. "So be it. I ask that Daedalus, Basil, and Phobos form the search party for Edgar. Send me a message once you have found him and I will bring him home."

"I would be delighted to find Edgar's location for you!" Daedalus boasted proudly.

"As would I!" added Basil.

"Do we really have to wander into enemy territory? Isn't that dangerous?" Phobos cried.

"It could be potentially dangerous, and that is why I ask that you join the other two on this journey. I trust that you will keep the group from taking unnecessary risks, Phobos." Tancreida said warmly. Phobos blushed and grinned bashfully, locking his hands together cutely. "The next task at hand is nudging the members of the University council in the right direction. They must be urged to form a new spiritual council to reach Yaweh. I feel that Dara, Ahava, Ismene, and Merari would make an appropriate team for this effort. You will not be able to form a council with the humans, but once they get close enough, let me know and I will step in."

"I would be honored to help the humans find the way." Dara said adding a respectful bow.

"I agree" said Ismene smiling happily.

"Absolutely! I'll get right on it!" Ahava shouted full of bubbly excitement.

"I can't believe you're making me work with these three. As long as it helps, I guess I'll have to go along…" Merari sulked.

"Thank you, Merari." Tancreida laughed lightly. "As for the rest of you, I want you to go about taking the materials that Yaweh has created near the humans' work areas so they may repair our defenses. Please do so with haste."

The cherubs all cheered once to build up their spirits and zoomed down and away from their nest to go about their assigned jobs as Tancreida watched from above in delight.

She turned around quietly and sighed deeply, "I suppose now all that is left is to wait."

"Indeed. I shall be watching carefully."


	3. To Secure our City

Chapter Three: To Secure our City

Chapter Three: To Secure our City

The cherubs made their way to the places along the city wall that had been ravaged by flaming rocks thrown by rabid enemy troops. The wall was smoldering and crackling in bitter defeat. They cringed painfully just looking at the destruction and knew they had to do something to help the humans fix this beaten-down mess before enemy troops came to finish the job they had started. Below the nervously fluttering cherubs were teams of humans running about in panic trying to repair the badly damaged wall before the next wave of enemy assaults.

"What do you mean we don't have enough iron?!" screamed the leader of a small building squad. His rough and beaten face was flushed red with frustrated anger. He paced back and forth in the middle of his group of builders rubbing his heavily worn leather helmet and swinging his aged and worn hammer angrily. "Tell those mineworkers and their idiot refiners to get a **move on**! We have until _sundown_ to rebuild this wall and look at how much we have to do!" The members of the squad looked down the line of the wall and were dizzied by the path of destruction that stretched all the way to the horizon. A collective groan came from the squad. They were already sun-beaten, dirty, and scraped up from having worked sixteen-hour days building and repairing their beloved city.

"How the heck are we supposed to finish all this!" groaned one of the builders, rubbing his dirty leathery face.

"We'll all be murdered by the Aztecs for sure!" cried another builder.

"Well, if ya don't wanna be ground up by those good-for-nuthin barbarians, I _suggest_ you tell the mineworkers to get a move on!" the squad leader shouted, throwing his hammer in the worn belt shoddily wrapped around his hips.

The cherubs watched all these activities with a sincere concern. They knew what they had to do. Though they would not be able to use the materials the same way the Boss could, they could still help get the iron for the builders. They nodded thoughtfully to each other and scattered at once to gather the necessary amounts of iron. While the builders and mineworkers bickered grumpily and scrambling to do their jobs, the cherubs quickly fluttered to the mines to get the ore to smelt for the builders with what little power had been bestowed unto them. It was a laborious task, but they had to do it as quickly as they could.

They formed a chain, one extracted the ore and handed it to the next two, who smelted the ore, and they would hand it to the next two who would run the iron to the walls where the builders could find and use it. The mining was hard work as the ore was much heavier than the cherubs had remembered and smelting was even harder work since they were not accustomed to performing a fire miracle. Though the last two cherubs did not have to mine nor smelt, but their job was just as difficult; they had to fly at speeds they could barely handle with heavy loads of iron plates. Fortunately for them, there were no humans in the mine, so they were able to go about their job as quickly as their small cherub bodies would allow without worrying that they might become visible to any people.

All along the walls, slabs of iron appeared ready to be used. One of the builders noticed this and quickly pointed it out to the squad leader, "Boss! Iron! It's right along the wall!"

The squad leader quickly turned around and saw the large piles of iron slabs, "Good job, builders! You got those lazy refiners to make us the iron! Now get to work! Quickly now, we have only the day to work! Go!"

The builders ran to their positions. Some quickly climbed the ladders set up along the walls and waited for their fellow workers to hand them the iron to work. The jobs went by with desperate speed as the workers hurriedly worked the iron slabs placed down by the busily working cherubs. The cherubs were exhausted but continued working until there was enough iron for the builders to finish fixing the walls. Hours had passed and the wall had still not been finished. Though there was now enough iron to repair the walls, there was just too much damage to repair and the builders were beginning to feel fatigued. The workers gasped desperately for air as they struggled to keep their grimy sweat out of their eyes while hammering, lifting, and caulking the iron into place. The squad leader pushed the men to keep going as he himself worked busily to distribute the iron where needed. They all watched the sun in horrid anticipation, hoping and praying there was enough time to finish the wall. The cherubs could only look on from the sidelines and silently hope the builders would be able to finish the job.

"We've done all we could to help them in this project" said one cherub as she clasped her hands together tightly, "I just hope they can finish… they look so tired…"

"There must be something we can do to help!" another cherub exclaimed worriedly to the others.

"But what can we do?"

"How about we use some mana to heal the builders? Maybe that would give them the strength to finish the job!" The other cherubs cheered the idea, though one had concerns.

"But, we aren't supposed to do that unless the Boss says we can do it. We might end up doing something bad!"

"That doesn't matter now! The city is at stake here! They need all the help they can get! Let's go, brothers and sisters!" The cherubs followed behind excitedly, preparing their mana to perform a healing.

"Still… I'm not so sure about this…"

The cherubs formed a circle near the builders and began to chant the healing charm. They danced, focusing their mana on the builders, and reciting the hymn to perform a healing. The hymn was one of the most beautiful sounds one could imagine. Their song rose and fell in an enchanting harmony. Though many of the builders could hear a faint song that was reminiscent of a summer ocean on a quiet night, none could tear their attentions away from the task at hand. A burst of energy exploded from the center of the cherubs' circle, encompassing the squad, and filling the area with a soft light. The builders turned around confusedly, many of them at once noticing several small and very bright figures in a circle. There was panic and screaming as some of the builders fell from their ladders and an unknown warmth surrounded them and their bodies. They were lifted from the ground and filled with a thickening warm haze that both energized and horrified them. They had no idea what was happening. One man tried to scream, but it was muffled by the thick cloud. Another woman tried to move her body to get away, but she was trapped by the foggy warmth. Suddenly, the haze began to dissipate. All were dropped to the ground. The haze disappeared. No one could be certain of what had just happened. They could all breathe and move once more, but they dared not for a few moments. The squad leader stood up, picked his helmet from the ground, and dusted it off. "What are you all lookin' at?! Get off your asses and get back to work!" he bellowed nervously.

"Wh-what were those things?" a builder asked nervously, collecting himself from the rough, sandy ground.

"If I says it was your mommy here to bring ya a sweet Gruwberry tart would ya get offa your ass and _get back to work_?!" The squad leader screamed.

The builders quickly scrambled and took their positions, each not noticing their newfound energy and ability to work harder and faster than before. They continued their worked furiously. They quickly forgot about the strange experience they just had and continued working with amazing speed on rebuilding the wall. As the last slab of iron was hammered into place, the sun pulled back its last rays of light. They had finished just in time. The Greek military platoons arrived precisely when they had told the builders that morning and they confidently took their positions along the wall. They were filled with determination to keep the bustling city secure from Aztec assault as the city went about its nightly activities.

The builders watched the platoons climb up the defenses as the platoon sergeants barked out noisy orders to the soldiers. The squad leader slowly removed his helmet and brushed away his sweat-soaked hair. He shook his head and laughed tiredly, "We did it. I can't tell y'all how proud I am of the work we just did. How's about we go to the tavern and get ourselves some Gruwberry ale! I'm buyin'!" The other builders cheered in self-satisfaction and relief. They had all done their part in the war against the Aztecs and were proud to have done their part well. They scuffled along, chatting lightly with each other as they made their way to the busy tavern.

The cherubs looked at each other nervously, clasping their small fists together.

"Do you think the humans saw us?" asked one cherub cautiously.

"There's no time for worrying. We must find other things we can do to help the city!" another cherub asserted. The others nodded in agreement, and as a group, they fluttered off to find something else they could assist with.


	4. On the Quest for Answers

Chapter Four: On the Quest for Answers

Chapter Four: On the Quest for Answers

"It's no use! There is simply not enough information left about this subject, Gasan. What shall we do? It has been two entire days since we began looking for information and we have naught!" Tehan exclaimed in frustration, putting down yet another dusty old book on the old, greasy library desk.

"I wouldn't be so impatient, Tehan. There are thousands of books we have yet to look through. Besides, I think I may have already found a significant clue in this book here." Gasan stated smugly, casually flipping through an old recipe book.

"Gasan, I know the University adores you for being so young and so capable, but what you are looking at is nothing more than a _crusty old cooking book_ with recipes of our ancestors!" Tehan grumbled impatiently.

"What do you know about cooking?" he said, not looking up from his dusty yellowed pages.

"I know about as much as any scholar would – close to nothing." Tehan admitted shyly.

"Did you know that Warlo root and Gartka dust should never be mixed together when making a simple meat sauce?"

"No. Why is that?"

"It's highly poisonous."

Tehan's eyes widened in surprise as Gasan put the book down onto the creaking desk, his finger pointed at a part of the sauce recipe that calls for "2 notches of Warlo root and 3 shakes of Gartka dust". Tehan had no words for his surprise. His jaw dropped wide open and he could only gawk at the recipe, then at Gasan.

"Another thing: Jertum base isn't used when baking desserts; it is an extremely sour substance used for the preservation of meat found in certain types of hard-plated plants." Gasan pointed out a recipe for Pourty Berry cake that called for "3 slivers of Jertum base". "Besides that, 3 slivers of Jertum base is far to much to put on anything less than fifteen pounds of meat. Otherwise, the sour taste of the Jertum would overpower the flavor of whatever it is mixed with. That being so, I figure, this is obviously not a cooking book; this is a book of codes used by some organization – an organization that had to hide messages in something as simple as a cooking book. It _must_ have something to do with the former religious councils. I have a good feeling about this." Gasan asserted confidently.

"Th-that's….b-brilliant…" Tehan stared in awe. He had never dreamed that secrets would be hidden so cleverly.

"Yes. I know. Let's have less gawking and more code breaking, shall we?" Gasan said impatiently.

Tehan sat at once and began puzzling over the book with Gasan. He was overwhelmed by the mention of elements he had little or no knowledge of such as "Pourty berries" and "Remina twigs". He couldn't hope to break a code he could barely understand. He realized that his time would be better spent researching from another angle, though Gasan had opened his eyes to information potentially being hidden in other places. He was determined to recheck all the books he had looked at to see if he had overlooked something. He discreetly excused himself from the desk where Gasan was busily scribbling notes and flipping through the pages of his recipe book. Tehan sat at the desk where he had been piling the books he had not been able to find anything and quickly began the task of rechecking all of those books.

Gasan carefully looked through the book's ridiculously impossible recipes and wrote out all the ingredients that had been used, the amounts, what type of dish the ingredients were supposedly for, and the types of materials each ingredient would be found in. He hoped that he would be able to deduce more information from these charts. As he was working on the charts, he noticed something truly unusual – none of the recipes involved a scrap of meat. Despite there being recipes for meat sauces as well as materials that would be normally used with meats, there was no mention of how to actually cook the meat or prepare the meat in any dish. If this were to be disguised as an ancient recipe book, there would have to be meat recipes as those were one of the few foods available to the ancient people of the city. What was the significance of excluding meat from a recipe code book? The thought baffled him. He took note of this and diligently worked on his charts.

The cherubs Dara, Ismene, Ahara, and Merari quietly fluttered into the dusty library in which Tehan and Gasan were busily reading and taking meticulous notes, puzzling over what could be significant. They watched the two work away in the dim, cluttered, dusty library. The cherubs looked thoughtfully at one another and fluttered away to find the books that would do best to aid these two in their search for answers. Ismene found a book in Tehan's pile that she remembered being filled with information. She curiously looked at Tehan, sweating nervously while flipping through old yellowed pages to find answers. She wondered to herself how he had overlooked such an important book. She pulled the book from the pile as carefully as she could and threw it away from the rest. The book landed with a moldy clap on the hard stone floor. Tehan and Gasan looked up with a start. Tehan looked over at Gasan in a mixture of shock, exhaustion, and confusion.

"There is no need for these childish games, Tehan. If you didn't find that book useful, there is no need to throw it." Gasan scoffed, wrinkling his nose in annoyance. He sighed loudly and went back to his notes.

Tehan looked around for a possible cause of the book suddenly flying out from the pile as he bent over from his chair to pick it up. He opened the book and flipped through to discover this had the biographies of the members in the religious councils. The sudden realization sent shockwaves to his gut and he hurriedly flipped through the pages to read through the book as quickly as he could. He groped desperately for his reed pen so he could make these important notes at once.

Merari was busy looking in the places he knew no one else would care to look. He searched under the bookcases, behind old stacks of books, and on top of hard-to-reach areas for anything that might have been hidden or placed there by accident. He crawled through the piles of dust and cobwebs and found little to boast about: a moldy piece of rope, 3 marbles, a copper earring, and the sharp part of a quill pen. He began to feel annoyed that his crawling had been for nothing, when suddenly he came by an old-looking envelope. He wasn't sure as to the contents of the envelope as it was still sealed, but he decided that it was worth the humans looking at. He pushed the letter from under the bookcase to the outside. The envelope slid along the floor with a dull crinkle and hit Gasan's sandal. Gasan looked down at the dusty envelope curiously. He wondered how it had gotten there, but was far too exhausted to look into it. He bent down and picked the envelope up, examining the outside for any identifying or interesting marks to no avail. It was a plain yellow envelope with a small wax seal on the back. The seal was not a decorative one, and so did not offer any clues as to the purpose of the letter or the author.

He opened the envelope carefully, as to not rip anything that might be inside. He cautiously removed the dry paper and unfolded it with the greatest of care and began to read. The letter was a love letter, so it seemed, though he could not gather the identity of the author or the intended recipient:

My Dearest,

I pray you forgive my awful delay. I have longed to write back to you, but my work has kept me from doing so. O how I long to touch your silken skin, your curling locks. My love, I promise I shant be from you much longer. The council has decided to draft me. I go in with regret, knowing that this will pose a problem in our happy future together. I pray I will serve only for a short time and that after my service we may marry. Once the council comes to collect me for my draft, I will have no ability to write you as I will be under constant watch. O what torture to be torn from your side! Cruel fate has endowed me with a spiritual essence the council feels is necessary to their activities. I do not know what they mean when they tell me about my spiritual essence, but I hope to return to your side very soon. I go into this predicament with little knowledge and little understanding. I wish I could tell you more. I wish I could be with you. Please, wait for me. I shall return soon.

Gasan wasn't sure what to make of this letter, other than the author must have been a man drafted into the council of priests and the intended recipient must have been his lover. He now wondered about this person's "spiritual essence" and what this could mean. He examined the letter over and over, looking for small clues that could provide more information to him.

The cherubs fluttered busily around the room looking for anything else that might be of use to the two, but they came up with nothing more. They looked at each other in disappointment and decided to move on to find the other University council members to see if they could assist them.


	5. Searching for the Beast

Chapter Five: Searching for the Beast

Chapter Five: Searching for the Beast

The three cherubs fluttered above the barren desert ground, combing the area for Edgar, the Boss's wolf beast. They weren't sure where they would find him, or how badly hurt he was, so they fluttered in a diligent search for him, hoping they could find him and save his life.

"We've been searching for two days now. If we haven't found him by now, he might have already… you know…" Basil said in frustrated grief, clutching his round, pump face. The other two looked at him and sighed.

"Don't say such things! I am certain we'll find him. Edgar likes to explore _and_ he's been missing for some _forty years_ now. So you can be sure he's far from home. Don't give up hope!" Daedalus asserted confidently. Basil looked up at him pitifully, wishing he could be that optimistic about Edgar.

"Uh… fellas… there's an army… I think they're following us…" Phobos stammered nervously. He dug his little fists into his chin worriedly as he glanced from the army troops on the ground below back to the other cherubs.

The other two looked behind them at the ground, and sure enough, there was a small troop of fifteen or perhaps twenty that seemed to be following them. Daedalus immediately shook his head, "That's impossible. Humans can't see us, and the Aztecs aren't exactly an exception to the rule."

"B-b-but…"

"Please, don't fret, Phobos. We will keep a sharp eye out for their activities. It's not as though they could harm us even if they could see us."

Phobos swallowed hard and tried to keep back his fears of what the troop might do to him and his fellow cherubs. The three continued fluttering in determination, even as the sun was setting on another failed search. They were tired, but they refused to let the possibility of Edgar dying be a worry in anyone's minds. They would do their best to find him. The troop behind the cherubs soon stopped and took up arms. Phobos saw this and immediately panicked, "Daedalus! Basil! They've taken up arms!"

The other two stopped immediately and turned around fluttering in place to get a better view of what the troop was up to. The soldiers took out their swords and held them up high, as though they were getting ready to strike. Just then, Basil noticed a small group of Greeks not far from the troop. "Save the Greeks! They're going to kill them!"

The cherubs swept down to the ground as the Aztec troop lunged forward, wielding heavy swords at a group of unarmed, cowering Greeks. They quickly cast a shield miracle around the Greeks just as the first Aztec swung his sword down. The shield boomed and cracked. The Greeks inside covered their heads and screamed in fright. The Aztecs were blinded by the extraordinarily bright light. Many of them froze in place, staring at the light that had appeared out of nowhere. The shield boomed once more and began swirling loudly, sending the Aztec troop running in fright. The Greeks inside were confused, shaking in fear, but thankful to not have been killed. They watched the Aztecs run into the sunset, yelling to each other in their language. Once the danger was gone, the shield evaporated into thin air. The Greeks looked at each other wondrously, unsure of what had just happened. Many of them sat on the ground, looking up at the sky for an explanation. One spoke up, "It was our God! Our God has saved us from a certain death! Praise and give tribute to our God!" The other Greeks bowed graciously to the sky and cried out their thanks.

The cherubs looked at each other in complete amazement. "We did it! We saved those people! All thanks to Phobos and his sharp eye!" Basil cried out happily.

Phobos blushed and looked down at his small cherub feet bashfully. The other two giggled and patted him on the back in congratulations.

"Though we managed to save some of our people, we haven't seen hide nor hair of Edgar! We need to find him quickly before the Aztecs do!" Basil pled nervously.

"You're right. We should get back on the search. As tired as I am, I fear for Edgar too much to rest until we've found him. Let's go." Daedalus said, placing his tiny fist on his swelling chest with determination.

The cherubs fluttered off quickly as the nervously shaking Greeks got up from their humble positions and made their way closer to the Greek homeland.


	6. The Truth about the Enemy

Chapter Six: The Truth about the Enemy

Chapter Six: The Truth about the Enemy

Inside the city's repository of past wars, were Solon and Viena, busily working away in the building's most immaculate study room. The room was filled with war journals, biographies, atlases, and history books - all were based on the wars that had been fought by the Greeks to secure the city that now stood victoriously gleaming in the hot desert sun. The books were kept clean and in very good shape seeing as the subject of past wars was the most fascinating to the children of the city. The thought of gallant heroes fighting against ruthless villains enthralled the public and was the subject of almost all plays in the amphitheater. Becoming a soldier was ultimately one of the most thrilling and prestigious dream many young boys grew up fantasizing about. Though Solon's eyes had begun to succumb to cataracts and his fingers to arthritis, his mind was still sharp, hunting for details and connections. He required Viena's help with reading and writing information, but he alone put the complicated pieces of the puzzle together. Viena greatly admired Solon and helped him in any ways she could, and did so eagerly. The old man was fragile and needed looking after. Viena understood this and had alerted all vendors in the area of Solon's likings in regards to food, drink and the like, so food and other necessities could be gathered more quickly. She had gone to great lengths to ensure that Solon would be able to find the information the council needed. Viena read aloud to Solon and wrote anything he commented on and any facial expressions he may have made. She thought it might be useful information later on, if anything were to happen to Solon and his wisdom were lost to the earth.

She adjusted her reading glasses and cleared her throat, "The Aztecs began from humble means. They started as a ruthless and hated tribe, living in the jungles and feeding off of whatever they could find. The Aztecs had no cities of their own, nor power. They often stole women from the cities they lived near so they had wives. This angered the powerful cities, so they devised a plan to kill off the Aztecs. The people of the cities released poisonous snakes into the areas the Aztecs were known to live. Much to their disgust, the Aztecs trapped, killed, and ate the snakes." Viena read sleepily from one of the Aztec history books.

Solon sat back in the chair, his foggy eyes pointed fixedly toward the clean plaster ceiling. His dry, bony hands were folded on top of his stomach. He nodded his head along as Viena read, drinking in the information and thinking of the significant connections to their the current situation.

Viena looked up from the heavy faded history book to make sure what she was reading was relevant to Solon. Without tearing his eyes from the ceiling, Solon said, "please, read on."

Viena nodded and looked back to the passage she was reading from, "After some time, the cities came to accept the Aztec existence and no longer attempted to assault the animalistic jungle-dwellers. The Aztec tribe began to gain more power as they became mercenaries for the other cities in times of war and conquest."

Solon suddenly tore his eyes from the ceiling, grasping the seat of his chair anxiously, "Wait. That is important. Does the book go into greater detail as to how the Aztec tribe became powerful enough to even be mercenaries?"

Viena's raised her eyebrows in surprise. She skimmed through the book, looking for information on the matter. She flipped through the book, skimming but not finding the answer to Solon's question. "No, sir, the book does not delve into anymore detail than what I have read to you."

Solon nodded his head, furrowing his eyebrows in deep concentration as he leaned back in his chair. Viena placed the book down onto the desk and quickly grabbed her notebook and reed pen, waiting for Solon to speak.

"The most logical theory I can gather from that passage is that the Aztec God was behind the success of the Aztec tribe. Their God must have given them the belligerent knowledge of warfare. But once they had achieved a thriving city, what motive is there to conquer all other cities? They do not need anymore land. Why do they fight to destroy others?" Solon pondered incredulously. "Please, Viena, read on."

"The Aztecs believe that the sun God rises and sets only when given an offering of a ..." Viena gasped and swallowed hard, "a... human sacrifice. However, the Aztecs do not usually sacrifice their own and instead opt to sacrifice prisoners they have captured during war..." Viena swallowed hard again and rubbed her quivering chin, "The human sacrifice is taken to the top of the sacrifice pyramid and placed onto a table where he or she is strapped down. The high priest then uses a dull-edged knife to tear open the live human's chest so that he can rip the still-beating heart out of the chest as an offering to the sun God. The body is kicked down the pyramid to the soldiers waiting at the bottom. The soldiers butcher the sacrificed bodies... and cook them for their meals.

The Aztecs usually sacrifice one or more prisoners per day and are desperately determined to sacrifice... no matter what the cost..." Viena looked up from the book, beads of sweat forming above her brow. Her whole body quivered in horror knowing that many of the Greek's soldiers... people she had known... had possibly met such a horrid fate. She held back tears thinking that her childhood friends had been tortured and devoured by these monsters. She couldn't begin to fathom the terror they must have felt laying in the Aztec prisons.

Solon was visibly shaken as well. His whole face was gray and somber. "I would be lying if I told you that didn't shock me..." He paused, recognizing the mix of anger and fear in Viena. "Child, I don't want you to feel upset. This is why we work. This is why we have formed the University council. We will protect our brothers and sisters from this abysmal fate."

Viena nodded slowly, holding her frown of disgust and hatred.

Solon shook his head and sighed deeply then said in his hoarse voice, "I know see their motivation for this war. We can thank our army, our God, or what have you, that we have so far resisted the Aztecs for over fifty years."

Viena grimly reached for her reed pen and notebook to take down this most sobering of information. She silently prayed that the council would be able to prevent this kind of unthinkable evil from happening to her city. She could only hope.


	7. The Security Breach

Chapter Seven: The Security Breach

From high above, the land looked peaceful. At a glance, there would seem to be nothing wrong at all. The people of the glimmering Greek city went about their work and daily activities as though nothing were amiss. Tancreida watched carefully for any signs of the cherubs. Though she knew better than to become personally attached to any tribe, she had watched over the Greeks so long, she couldn't help but feel for them as though they were her children. Her heart longed to protect the quiet and peaceful people of Thule. She sighed as she thought of Yaweh's apparent disregard of the fate of the people. Yaweh seemed to be more interested in watching the enemy these days. She tried to remind herself that Yaweh is able to see more and has a more well-developed plan to help Thule, but she also couldn't help worry that Yaweh did not care for the Greeks as much as she did.

Her thoughts were disrupted by a sudden realization – the Aztecs were not attacking the city walls. One would expect this to be a good thing, but in this case it was highly suspicious. The Aztecs had formed the habit of attacking the city wall every day. Some days they were closer to success than other days, though they had not been able to penetrate the city's defenses since the war began many years ago. This time, they formed ranks quite a distance from the city's walls, and there were more troops stationed outside Thule than usual.

Tancreida wondered why the Aztecs had begun to form their ranks so far from where the walls were, and why there were so many troops this time. Something was up, that much was obvious. She turned around, hoping to find answers from Yaweh and hoping that she could assist in some way. "Yaweh, are you watching this? What's going on here?" she asked with a tone of concern. No answer. "Yaweh?" Still nothing. She became immediately worried that Yaweh had gone off on some other business. She suddenly became frightened that something awful would happen and the Greeks would have no defense against it. She held her head and tried to think quickly of something she could do. She could not command any of Yaweh's wonders, which would guarantee safety from any Aztec assault, but she could cast miracles of a greater potency than the cherubs could. Those wouldn't be enough to prevent any kind of catastrophe. Just then, she heard a voice. Yaweh. She was unimaginably relieved. "Yaweh! Where have you been? The Aztecs are forming ra-"

"Yes. I know. I have been watching carefully. I had to reprimand five cherubs who performed a healing miracle without my permission. That is why I was absent." The voice spoke calmly.

"What shall we do about the Aztecs? What are they preparing?" Tancreida asked worriedly.

"They are standing back as their God tries to cast a wonder. Camaxtli seeks to force a volcano from the ground right beneath where our southern defenses are."

Tancreida gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "You know this, so what is your plan?"

"Hm? Plan? My dear, I have no 'plan' to speak of."

Her eyes widened in horror."But if you know what Camaxtli is up to, why not stop it?" Tancreida pleaded desperately.

"I can't stop it." the voice chuckled, "we just have to sit back and wait for now."

"And allow the people of Thule to perish?! You know what the Aztecs did to your last settlement! Why let it happen again?" Tancreida screeched in horror, holding her quivering hands in fists.

"Oh, they won't succumb to that fate. Our city is much too big for that to happen again. Don't you worry. Everything is under control." The voice said confidently.

The sky blackened. Tancreida watched in horror as the ground began to rumble and shake. Just as Yaweh said, the southern defenses began to groan and twist wildly as the ground beneath it shook ferociously. The people of the city stopped where they were and frantically looked around for the cause of the sudden quaking. Many of them dropped to the ground and began screaming in terror. Mothers grabbed children and held them protectively. Workers dropped their materials and held it close to the ground. All those inside buildings crawled under tables and desks and held their heads in sheer fright. The ground beneath the southern walls began to swell with a bright red heat as the walls collapsed in on themselves and the ground tore open. The earth suddenly began convulsing more violently. The people of the city let out a scream and a few began to pray desperately.

Just then, the earth ripped wide open, the crack moving rapidly along a jagged line away from the city walls. The Aztec troops were shocked to see the jagged line headed straight for them. Those in the front screamed to the others and the platoons began to run, but the sticky sand wouldn't allow their escape. Their heavily clad bodies forced their feet to sink into the hot, coarse sand, slowing them down as the jagged line came upon them. The crevice tore the ground from beneath the Aztecs. The sand began pouring into the chasm, snatching the remaining troops by their armored feet, pulling the screaming men down into the abyss. Sand continued to pour into the rift, burying the Aztec platoons under a suffocatingly thick layer of scorching hot sand. The tremors began to calm to a mild purring. The Greeks, too afraid to get up from their spots, checked on those near them, making sure no one had been hurt during the ruckus.

"I believe... you've managed to save the city... somehow..." Tancreida declared in surprise and relief.

"Don't be so sure..."

The black clouds accumulated, suffocating the sky. Thunder growled and roared bitterly. Lightning crackled evilly, pounding the earth with a furious heat. The ground shook painfully as each bolt of lightning beat a crater into the surface, driving the Greek citizens off the ground in fright.

"What's going on? What are they up to now?" Tancreida questioned fearfully.

There was a long pause between the two as the lightning continued to whip the earth and the thunder snarled violently. "I don't know"

The black clouds coiled abruptly as a venomous snake preparing to strike. The solid black clouds were penetrated by fiery meteors plummeting dangerously from the sky, smashing into buildings and streets, causing panic among the citizens. Buildings collapsed into a black smoldering fog. Meteors sent rocks, sand, and trees airborne as they made impact. The Greeks screamed as they ran in terror, covering their heads as debris struck many.

"Do something, Yaweh!" Tancreida screeched desperately.

A bright light ruptured the sky, engulfing the city in a resplendent glow. Meteors continued to be hurled toward the smoldering city, but instead smashed against the barrier of light. They snapped and crumbled in a flaming determination against the dome of luminescence. Meteor after meteor fell from the sky, though none could bust through the shield around the city. The sounds coming from the shield and the meteors were frightfully noisy. Crashing, grinding, whirring, and growling. The people were dazed by fear and confusion. None dared to look out from their shelters. The noises began to slow. The sounds of explosions gradually drifted further apart as the black clouds slowly dissipated. The thunder became quieter and the lightning ceased to touch the ground. The last of the meteors crumbled apart in a rough cracking and booming against the barrier and all went quiet. The clouds moved further away from the city, allowing beams of light to touch down, revealing the devastation left behind.

One of the taverns and the high temple was completely destroyed; nothing was left of the buildings beside black smoldering rubble. Many homes had been damaged by huge chunks of debris from the temple. Dozens of Greeks now lay dead in the impact zones. The people cautiously emerged from their hiding places and silently gawked at the damage done to their beautiful city. They all looked at it in total disbelief. A crowd formed around the ruins of the former high temple, none daring to speak at such a grim time.

A young man hesitantly stepped forward, into the debris and looked down at a small snatch of fabric. He picked it up to examine it. A small ring fell from the fabric and landed with a dull clink onto the charred ground. He picked it up and looked at it curiously. Tears welled in his eyes. He blinked hard, clutching the small ring to his chest. "My wife! My dearest wife! She is dead!" The crowd looked at the man in a devastated sympathy as they tried to come to terms with what had just happened to their city. "My wife! She devoted her life to God and this is how our God repays her! What kind of God allows this to happen!" the man screamed in agony as he broke down into bawls. No one could console the man, nor could they find a faith within themselves to share with him. They all stood in morbid silence, eyes pointed to the ground.

A woman from the crowd spoke up, "I agree with him! I say we don't rebuild this temple and instead build something of _use_ to us! Prayer won't help us fight this war."

The people of the town looked gray with shock and sorrow, each one quietly looking at the one standing beside them. The crowd mumbled their hesitant agreement with the woman. Prayer would certainly not aid them in this battle. They were truly and completely alone.

The builder squad leader walked up to the destroyed tavern, and studied it. He abruptly slammed his fist into the ground and yelled for his workers, "Builders. It looks like we have a lot to fix here! Gather materials and meet me at the southern walls! Pronto!"

The builders looked at him in frustration, not verbalizing their discouragement.

"Look here. We are in the war. Our army is working damn hard to keep this city safe, and the least we can do is back them up by keeping the enemy out! So go get materials now!" The squad leader marched off with proud determination as his builders quickly assembled their carts. The rest of the citizens watched the builders make their ways to start reconstruction and followed suite. They went back to their jobs with a somber realization that they were alone in this war and that they had to work even harder to keep their city out of the hands of the Aztecs.


End file.
